--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If they can't do it in California, it…" description: "\"If they can't do it in California, it can't be done anywhere.\" — Taylor Caldwell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/taylor-caldwell-4748_california_if-they-can-t-do-it-in-california-it-can_475016.png" --- # If they can't do it in California, it can't be done… ![“If they can't do it in California, it can't be done anywhere.” quote by Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/taylor-caldwell-4748_california_if-they-can-t-do-it-in-california-it-can_475016.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/taylor-caldwell-4748_california_if-they-can-t-do-it-in-california-it-can_475016.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/taylor-caldwell-4748_california_if-they-can-t-do-it-in-california-it-can_475016.png) > “If they can't do it in California, it can't be done anywhere.” [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that a failure in a prominent, demanding environment proves impossibility everywhere. **In simple terms:** If it fails in California, it's impossible elsewhere. Key Takeaway Don't assume impossibility from one failure. Themes skepticism innovation risk assessment Mood cautious analytical Type advisory critical When to use this quote - business planning - product launch - policy making - investment decisions Key Concepts perception of difficulty regional bias Questions to Reflect On - What factors make California unique? - Could a different approach succeed elsewhere? A Different Perspective It may overlook unique local factors that could enable success elsewhere. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [California](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) ## Related quotes > [How would Elvira run the state of California? Well, there isn't much I could do that is worse than what Arnold Schwarzenegger has done.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-peterson/how-would-elvira-run-the-state-of-california-well-there-isn-t-much-i/) [Cassandra Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-peterson/) > [You could have a hit in California that no one had heard of in Oklahoma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wanda-jackson/you-could-have-a-hit-in-california-that-no-one-had-heard-of-in/) [Wanda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wanda-jackson/) > [“God will break California from the surface of the continent like someone breaking off a piece of chocolate. It will become its own floating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ruby/god-will-break-california-from-the-surface-of-the-continent-like/) [Laura Ruby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ruby/) > [I'm from California, but my father, who passed away when I was young, was from Newark. When I was kid, we would go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-daly/i-m-from-california-but-my-father-who-passed-away-when-i-was-young/) [Carson Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-daly/) > [While there is an attempt by the Trump people to say that California isn't really America. California certainly seems like America to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/while-there-is-an-attempt-by-the-trump-people-to-say-that-california/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [The D.C. playbook is obsolete. It's time for the people of California to bring the agenda to Washington, not the other way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/the-d-c-playbook-is-obsolete-it-s-time-for-the-people-of-california/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [These French-style caramels are handmade in California. It's always hard to give them away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/these-french-style-caramels-are-handmade-in-california-it-s-always/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Take one round-trip flight between New York and California, and you've generated about 20 percent of the greenhouse gases that your car emits over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/take-one-round-trip-flight-between-new-york-and-california-and-you-ve/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [When I started in California, people would say, 'Enterprise who?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-nicholson/when-i-started-in-california-people-would-say-enterprise-who/) [Pamela Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-nicholson/) > [Many militarists would like to see California's votes vanish from the national electoral system, which would then become more Republican.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-swanson/many-militarists-would-like-to-see-california-s-votes-vanish-from-the/) [David Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-swanson/) > [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [The Urban Literate Southern California Sub-Group of the Early Atomic Period has not yet produced a distinct body of folk music of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hinton/the-urban-literate-southern-california-sub-group-of-the-early-atomic/) [Sam Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hinton/) > [We need to incorporate that age-old concept of redemption into the work that we do in the criminal justice system in California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/we-need-to-incorporate-that-age-old-concept-of-redemption-into-the/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [Everyone in California is from somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wright-morris/everyone-in-california-is-from-somewhere-else/) [Wright Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wright-morris/) ## More by Taylor Caldwell > [“It's a funny thing about love: you don't need to have it returned to love somebody. Loving's enough. -- A Prologue to Love ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/it-s-a-funny-thing-about-love-you-don-t-need-to-have-it-returned-to/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [If there is a God, then he was particularly harsh to me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/if-there-is-a-god-then-he-was-particularly-harsh-to-me/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/people-must-again-learn-to-work-instead-of-living-on-public-assistance/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [“What manner of men had lived in those days...who had so eagerly surrendered their sovereignty for a lie and a delusion? Why had they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/what-manner-of-men-had-lived-in-those-days-who-had-so-eagerly/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [I will know him by his eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/i-will-know-him-by-his-eyes/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [I am the skeptic of skeptics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/i-am-the-skeptic-of-skeptics/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [“Then, my sweet, you are still an innocent, and I am amazed. Lies are far more potent than the truth, and far ore dangerous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/then-my-sweet-you-are-still-an-innocent-and-i-am-amazed-lies-are-far/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [“Forests, hills, mountains, rivers, and green streams had no protection in the face of rapacity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/forests-hills-mountains-rivers-and-green-streams-had-no-protection-in/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [Corrupt citizens breed corrupt rulers, and it is the mob who finally decides when virtue shall die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/corrupt-citizens-breed-corrupt-rulers-and-it-is-the-mob-who-finally/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [Man was the outlaw, the rebel, the distorted shape that scarred the earth, the voice that silenced the music of Eden, the hand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/man-was-the-outlaw-the-rebel-the-distorted-shape-that-scarred-the/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [At 8, I made a pact with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/at-8-i-made-a-pact-with-god/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [There is no solid satisfaction in any career for a woman like myself. There is no home, no true freedom, no hope, no joy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/there-is-no-solid-satisfaction-in-any-career-for-a-woman-like-myself/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [“On the day when you again allow abominable men to confiscate your freedom, your money, your lives, your private property, your manhood and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/on-the-day-when-you-again-allow-abominable-men-to-confiscate-your/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [No woman has ever been an authentic genius of the stature of men, but that does not enrage me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/no-woman-has-ever-been-an-authentic-genius-of-the-stature-of-men-but/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [Even the most malignant gods would not continue to inflict life upon humanity, time without end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/even-the-most-malignant-gods-would-not-continue-to-inflict-life-upon/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) [Explore all 105 Taylor Caldwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) ## More California quotes > [Everyone in California is from somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wright-morris/everyone-in-california-is-from-somewhere-else/) [Wright Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wright-morris/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [We need to incorporate that age-old concept of redemption into the work that we do in the criminal justice system in California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/we-need-to-incorporate-that-age-old-concept-of-redemption-into-the/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [The Urban Literate Southern California Sub-Group of the Early Atomic Period has not yet produced a distinct body of folk music of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hinton/the-urban-literate-southern-california-sub-group-of-the-early-atomic/) [Sam Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hinton/) > [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Many militarists would like to see California's votes vanish from the national electoral system, which would then become more Republican.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-swanson/many-militarists-would-like-to-see-california-s-votes-vanish-from-the/) [David Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-swanson/) > [When I started in California, people would say, 'Enterprise who?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-nicholson/when-i-started-in-california-people-would-say-enterprise-who/) [Pamela Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-nicholson/) > [Take one round-trip flight between New York and California, and you've generated about 20 percent of the greenhouse gases that your car emits over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/take-one-round-trip-flight-between-new-york-and-california-and-you-ve/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [These French-style caramels are handmade in California. It's always hard to give them away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/these-french-style-caramels-are-handmade-in-california-it-s-always/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [The D.C. playbook is obsolete. It's time for the people of California to bring the agenda to Washington, not the other way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-leon/the-d-c-playbook-is-obsolete-it-s-time-for-the-people-of-california/) [Kevin de Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-leon/) > [While there is an attempt by the Trump people to say that California isn't really America. California certainly seems like America to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/while-there-is-an-attempt-by-the-trump-people-to-say-that-california/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [I'm from California, but my father, who passed away when I was young, was from Newark. When I was kid, we would go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-daly/i-m-from-california-but-my-father-who-passed-away-when-i-was-young/) [Carson Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-daly/) > [“God will break California from the surface of the continent like someone breaking off a piece of chocolate. It will become its own floating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ruby/god-will-break-california-from-the-surface-of-the-continent-like/) [Laura Ruby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ruby/) > [You could have a hit in California that no one had heard of in Oklahoma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wanda-jackson/you-could-have-a-hit-in-california-that-no-one-had-heard-of-in/) [Wanda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wanda-jackson/) > [My first encounter with yoga was in 1969 with my older brother Doug. I was thirteen years old, and he was eighteen. He'd learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-f-swensen/my-first-encounter-with-yoga-was-in-1969-with-my-older-brother-doug-i/) [David F. Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-f-swensen/) [Browse all 2,036 California quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If they can't do it in California, it can't be done anywhere.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Taylor Caldwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/if-they-can-t-do-it-in-california-it-can-t-be-done-anywhere/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "California" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/if-they-can-t-do-it-in-california-it-can-t-be-done-anywhere/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/taylor-caldwell-4748_california_if-they-can-t-do-it-in-california-it-can_475016.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/taylor-caldwell-4748_california_if-they-can-t-do-it-in-california-it-can_475016.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/taylor-caldwell-4748_california_if-they-can-t-do-it-in-california-it-can_475016.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If they can't do it in California, it can't be done anywhere.” — Taylor Caldwell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Taylor Caldwell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If they can't do it in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/if-they-can-t-do-it-in-california-it-can-t-be-done-anywhere/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/if-they-can-t-do-it-in-california-it-can-t-be-done-anywhere/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```